Customer Reviews

Two Daughters (Dui Kanya) - (Mr Bongo Films)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The movie is 2 stories in one. The first one (The Postmaster) was moving. One feels for the little maid trapped in the servitude of postmasters in a small village in Bengal. Her sweet relationship with the Postmaster is brought to an abrupt end at the close of the first story. The second story is a remarkable portrayal of a tomboy of a village girl and her suitor - a relatively introvert, academically inclined man. A vivid depiction of how opposites attract, the obvious initial problems that result from it, then finally their separation and eventual unification. In one scene Ray shows the transformation of a the crying tomboy bride (since her brand new husband leaves her) into a mature woman - was a touch of class from this master craftsman. Definitely for those who love movies that leave a lasting impact.

When Satyajit Ray's films came to Seattle as part of a weekly festival back in 1995, I had never heard of him before. I was just thirteen and a real film buff. I think "Two Daughters" was the first film I saw by the master filmmaker. This particular film is like poetry. I say this because it was filmed, directed and acted in such a thoughtful and sensitive way. There is so much detail packed into every frame. I could almost smell the streets and touch the people as I watched them emerge onto the screen.

"Two Daughters" is actually two films that examine the lives of two very diverse, beautiful and complex young women.

The first part, "The Postman," examines the relationship between a postman who arrives in a community (Nandalal played by Anil Chaterjee) and a young girl who falls in love with him and ends up nursing him back to health during an outbreak of malaria (Ratan played by Chandana Banerjee). This is touching and definitely a universal relationship many can relate to, as well being poignant and heartbreaking during the final moments of the story.

The second part, "The Conclusion," is about a young man returning home from college (Amulya played by Soumitra Chatterjee) whose domineering mother wants him to settled down with a good Indian girl. His mother's choice in a suitable bride for her son is not what he has in mind. In fact, he would rather marry the town tomboy and troublemaker (Mrinmoyee played by Aparna Das Gupta). Their scenes together are amusing and also touching.

These are important films to see for anyone who is first becoming acquainted with the brilliant talent and work of Satyajit Ray. Also, anyone who wants to take a look at a delicate and exquisite style of filmmaking different from the loud, bombastic movie style of "typical" American storylines.

Ray's version of The Postman is one of my all-time favorite films. As a former Peace Corps Volunteer in India, I can say that this film catches the flavor of that experience completely. The postmaster from Calcutta could be from America -- or from Mars for that matter - the village life is so strange to him. As a sort of accidental by-product of being there, he absolutely changes the life of his young servant girl by teaching her how to read. She, as a sort of accidental by-product of serving him, saves his life. The ending is heartbreaking, but it's not at all clear whether the Postmaster himself - headed for home - feels the emotion.

Two Daughters (Teen Kanya) is an early film by Satyajit Ray. It presents the stories of a girl and a young woman. Both stories are independent of each other and do not have the same charters, but comparisons could be made between them.

The first story is about a man who becomes the new postmaster of a remote village. Although country life is not unpleasant, he is used to living in the city so it is all quite new to him. The postmaster's servant is a young girl named Ratan, and the story is really about their friendship, which is quite touching and memorable.

The film concludes with a story about a young man named Amulya, whose mother wants him to get married. Amulya isn't in a hurry to get married as he has more studies to complete. Amulya's mother arranges for him to meet a woman she would like him to marry, but he finds another woman, who is a tomboy, more to his liking. It might be her free spirit that Amulya finds attractive, but as marriage is a serious thing it also means she has to change her ways as climbing trees wouldn't be seen as proper behavior for a married woman.

You may be wondering why Teen Kanya is also called Three Daughters. It originally had three segments, but one was cut due to the subtitles not being finished in time for the first international release. Hence, Three Daughters became Two Daughters.

Satyajit Ray is a great storyteller and filmmaker. Ray communicates to us through several of our perceptions. The visual clues, such as looking deeply into the eyes of the charters, help us understand what the charters are feeling; while the music and sound, or the lack of it, intensifies the story. Ray has the ability to draw in the viewer quickly with the way he presents his movies. Two Daughters is a movie that makes an excellent introduction to Bengali cinema, as it will leave you thirsting for more.

Made right after the completion of The Apu Trilogy had brought him worldwide renown, these two outstanding movies by Satyajit Ray are inspired by his mentor, the Nobel Prize-winning author Rabindranath Tagore and are set in Bengali villages.

The sharp, often very funny Two Daughters was made to mark the centenary of Tagore's birth and tells two stories of relationships between educated men and simple village girls. It reveals Ray's shrewd eye for the often pompous, self-deceiving conduct of Indian intellectuals and his unpatronising compassion for the dignity of village life.

These are both well-done stories, guaranteed to choke you up at least once per picture. India/Bangladesh is about as picturesque an area as anyone could hope to film, but with Ray at the helm, cinema is born. So while I don't want to get into critique of the films, I would like to comment on the production of this DVD. It is a Mr Bongo films, PAL for EU/UK edition, which means you should have a region-free player if you're going to order it in N America. Second, the aspect ratio could have been better. On mine, there were black bars, not just on the top and bottom of the picture, but on the right and left side as well (1.5" top/bottom side, 2.3" right/left side). When I enlarged the picture, it filled the whole screen but just enough so that most of the subtitles were then cut off at the bottom. I still enjoyed the films, but don't see why this couldn't have been rectified. Maybe it's my TV (anyone else experience the same?). On the plus side, at least the DVD case isn't one of these "environmentally friendly" jobs with half the plastic cut out.

*Note: I watched it on another TV (widescreen) and it didn't seem to have this problem.

This is actually two separate films, each about a young female - one a young girl, the other a young woman who acts as if she were still a girl. (Actually, a third installment was planned, but it never materialized.) The first part, only about 30 minutes long, is simplicity itself: a man from Calcutta is assigned a position as postmaster in a small rural village. There his assistant is a young girl; they come to rely on each other. But after an attack of malaria, he decides to go to another post, and the girl is heartbroken.

The second part is about a stubborn young man who decides to marry a woman who is still only a child mentally (she likes to still play with the other children). After a disastrous wedding night, he decides to go back to the city. Months go by over which the woman decides to accept her marriage, and the man returns. Satyajit Ray wrote and directed these simple yet consumately artful films; they tell universal truths with great beauty and sincerity: every moment seems exactly right.

an extraordinary,touching film of great beauty and depth.A profound view of life in rural India that strikes home.

Two Daugters (English Subtitles) was ordered and received. This Black & White, old time classic movie, reminding of Indian Bangali culture was good realistic enjoyment.

Note: This review only covers the first movie ("Postmaster") in this collection. Satyajit Ray's story about a man from the city who comes to work in a rural Indian village as their postmaster and in the process transforms the life of a young girl by teaching her how to read is heartwarming but without the melodrama Bollywood movies usually fall into. The eccentric village characters and the simplicity of the servant girl helps create an environment which is home-like and alienating at the same time and viewers will be able to sympathize with the Post-Master's initial bewilderment. I cannot stress enough how the movie honestly feels like a look into the days in a life in an Indian village, his characters do not speak with any dramatic feel and the whole movie plays out like simple day to day occurrences. The ending, though sad, is quite realistic and a tribute to Ray's ability to keep his characters human, displaying that everyday people often do not perform the heroic deed in lieu of the easier one. This movie is highly recommended to anyone who wants to watch a realistic drama without any of the regular Bollywood spectacle.